Patriots: Special players wanted

Monday

Aug 24, 2009 at 2:00 AM

FOXBORO — With Pro Bowl receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker manning the starting slots, the New England Patriots appear set. Except that this is a team that employs multiple-receiver sets, frequently morphing into no-huddle and two-minute offenses.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

FOXBORO — With Pro Bowl receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker manning the starting slots, the New England Patriots appear set. Except that this is a team that employs multiple-receiver sets, frequently morphing into no-huddle and two-minute offenses.

So the backup wideouts play crucial roles, and New England boosted its depth at the position in the offseason, trading with Philadelphia for veteran Greg Lewis, and signing free agent Joey Galloway.

If form holds — and that's a big if — the Patriots' top four receivers would average 31.5 years of age and 10 years NFL experience, among the most experienced and oldest in the NFL.

So Patriots coach Bill Belichick has a host of decisions to make when deciding which receivers to keep beyond the veteran quartet, if indeed Lewis and Galloway stick.

Does he value the special teams play of Sam Aiken more than the return skills shown by second-year man Matthew Slater and rookie Brandon Tate?

Is the versatility of rookie Julian Edelman, who can return punts and serve as a scout team quarterback when practicing against the wildcat offense, more prized than the sheer athleticism of rookie Terrence Nunn?

Belichick said he must strike a delicate balance when it comes to assembling his receiver corps, just as he would any position.

"Special teams is an important part of every position," said Belichick. "We look for contributions from all our players in the kicking game. We know the offensive and defensive linemen are limited, given their overall speed and range and the nature of those positions."

Belichick said players who don't contribute on special teams or other phases of the game need to really stand out in their areas.

"We try to bring all these things together. You can't have too many people who don't have versatility and you can't have too many people who don't really excel at a certain thing," he said. "It's a combination of all those things. You have players who are primarily special teams players and players who are primarily offensive and defensive players."

One of those primarily offensive players is Moss. Belichick said he has had a good offseason, strong spring workouts and a good training camp, and hasn't hesitated to reach out to the younger receivers.

"He's very good at helping younger players," said Belichick. "He and Wes (Welker) talk a lot about different techniques."

Belichick said Moss' leadership skills were never more valuable than during the 2008 season, when he served as a captain.

"It wasn't for his playing ability, but for his leadership," said Belichick.

He said Moss has also reached out to both Lewis and Galloway, made them feel welcome and helped them learn the New England system.

Belichick said he and his staff spent Saturday reviewing the team to date, including the two preseason games and all the camp workouts and meetings.

"(We're) trying to look at things going forward," he said. "We have a lot of balls in the air here. We know the opener is a couple weeks away, too, so we're trying to balance everything, our practices, preparation for the Redskins (this week), certainly with an eye on the opening part of the season."

The Patriots made a roster move yesterday, releasing second-year tight end Tyson DeVree. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Colorado in 2008. He was a member of the practice squad for nine weeks last season before being signed to the 53-man roster.

The Patriots have four tight ends in camp, all veterans: Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker, Alex Smith and David Thomas.